Kathleen Parker | Fertility and politics

9:41 PM,
Jun. 19, 2013

Written by

Kathleen Parker
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON - Distilled to a slogan, politics of late goes something like this: "I'm more fertile than you are."

It seems fecundity is emerging as the best argument for public office, policy or even citizenship. What was once an unconscious appraisal - Is this person strong, healthy and vital? - has morphed into the sort of explicit review one usually associates with an X rating.

While male politicians have always strutted their stuff as a demonstration of virility and strength, most women until recently have had no such comparable public measures. Managing a household wasn't viewed as ...